Certified professional service providers to the rescue

Owning and managing New York real estate today is demanding and challenging. As we are all well aware, our national economic situation presents burdens that we weren't expecting 12 months ago. Rising operating costs, decreasing occupancy rates, competition and detrimental effects of the economic strife make us wonder how we can cope with increasing risks and how we can sustain ourselves during this downturn. As the economy worsens, crime tends to increase. Commercial, residential and industrial buildings in New York become more vulnerable as sources of resalable, valuable goods and equipment ranging from office equipment, personnel items, inventory and even unfinished raw material. Real estate owners and managers have always been aware of the constant threat of theft as they have always been aware of the dangers to life safety. Yet, there are the additional threats or risks that can hasten the demise of profitability or even business closures if we do not confront the potential risks and vulnerabilities. It is easy to identify potential risks to your real estate properties. But do we take the time to evaluate these risks or to plan for mitigation strategies that can save lives and assets? Many real estate owners and managers are over extended time-wise trying to manage their existing day-to-day operations and have little or no time to plan for contingencies or emergencies. This planning, however essential, takes precious time out of the rigors of daily management. However we prioritize our duties and responsibilities, we must be reminded every day that the cloud of vulnerability may rear its wrath. Property owners, operators and managers must be aware of all of the potential crises and emergencies that could occur at their facilities at any time. The hovering threat to the security and safety of people, property and assets is all around us. The dangers that lurk in the backgrounds of our daily routines are real, they exist and most of the time are not addressed until it is too late. If an unexpected crisis or emergency should occur what must be done to mitigate the impacts of the emergency must be done automatically and with extreme efficiency. A prudent approach to assuring the survival of your operation, to minimize the impact of a loss event, is to retain a professional expert certified in the areas of crisis management, business continuity and disaster recovery. What Safeguards International, Inc. and its staff of certified protection professionals do is to perform a vulnerability analysis of a facility or property, whether it is a commercial building, a high-rise condo or coop, a corporate headquarters, a manufacturing plant, a warehouse or an educational institution. We take on the responsibility of identifying all of the contingencies, i.e., vulnerabilities that could affect the operation ranging from injury, aggressive acts, assault, intruders, thefts, power outages, computer networks down, floods, fires and explosions, to bad weather preparedness. We then rank the probability of occurrence and assess the impact of any potential emergency on human life, the corporation's assets and the overall impact on the business. We then recommend and design updated policies, procedures and systems to deal with the specific, prioritized vulnerabilities: your rescue plan. The lingering threat of terrorist acts upon our society and in our workplaces remains a harsh "wake up call." We must be highly vigilant to an unseen enemy, the unexpected act of terrorism. Will you survive? The simple exercise in preparedness planning is to ask, "What do we do now?" That question should never be asked at the time of crisis or emergency. Safeguards International's approach to crisis and emergency preparedness planning includes practiced responses through well written procedures, training and drills. "Target Hardening," is rapidly becoming a term in building owners and managers vocabularies. Your first line of defense, and protection, from the unknown intruder is to identify all tenants and visitors at an early checkpoint before they gain entry to a suburban facility or to a city's building's upper or lower floors. Vehicle access procedures to a property must include authentication of driver's IDs, manifest verification and vehicle inspections. The issuance of permanent or temporary photo ID badges is essential. Programmable access badges can be used to allow or restrict certain individuals through locked and controlled portals. Several properties employ metal detectors. Outdoor area high intensity lighting is essential as another line of defense. Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) should be addressed, or re-examined, as a means of creating a safe climate that can lead to a reduction in the incidence of fear of "crime," or threats and thus increase the quality of life at your properties. No one wants to be a statistic, especially the statistical list of business closures that is growing. Proactive emergency management planning by the certified professionals can and will save your businesses. Safeguards International stands at the ready to assist all property owners, operators and managers to perform the necessary risk and vulnerability analyses and to come to your rescue before the time of need. Allan Schwartz, CPP, CHS-III is president and CEO of Safeguards International, Inc., Yonkers, N.Y.